The present invention relates to a method for the production of low alcohol wine and to a low alcohol wine so produced.
Wine is the fermented juice of fruit, particularly grapes. The natural alcohol content of wine will depend upon the sugar content of the fruit juice. Typically grapes when picked ripe will yield a juice containing about 19% by weight fermentable sugar. Such juice, if fermented to dryness, i.e. to a point where all the sugar is consumed, will have an alcohol content of about 12% by volume. It is possible to stop the fermentation before all the sugar has been fermented however this will necessarily result in a sweet wine. The degree of sweetness in low alcohol wines produced by this method is unacceptable.
It is also known to ferment the fruit juice to dryness and then to de-alcoholise the wine by, for instance, vacuum evaporation. This process is both expensive and deleterious to wine quality.
In another process as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,468,407 (Vella), there is provided a method of producing low alcohol wine wherein a standard alcoholic beverage is cooled to produce a liquid fraction which is high in alcohol and a solid fraction that is low in alcohol. The advantage of this process lies in the use of low temperature to separate the fractions thereby ensuring minimal loss of flavour.